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Wednesday, 27 April 2016

Cross-Curricular Learning with the Chrysanthos Colour Wheel

I have recently learned about the Chrysanthos Colour Wheel which was created by "curving the wedges of a traditional color wheel to create what has been dubbed a Trigeod. The Trigeod shapes are then rearranged to form another variation of the color wheel named the “Chrysanthos color wheel”. The color wheel is comprised of twelve Trigeod shapes which are painted in the twelve colors of the color wheel.

The Trigeod is so versatile, that the slogan “One Shape, Many Minds, Infinite Possibilities™” has been coined to describe it" (Chrysanthos Colour).

Upon discovering this colour wheel on Instagram at ChrysanthosColor, I immediately found it to be a great teaching manipulative within all curriculum areas. It’s colourful pieces attract the eye of the students and I loved how open-ended of a product it was. You can use it for anything!

First, I set up an introductory activity for my students and allowed them to create freely with the colour wheel. I wanted to see if there was an interest before proceeding with further lessons.

Colour Wheel Creations Provocation

From this activity I realized that my students were actively engaged and the colour wheel has indeed sparked an interest for them, a high interest level. When looking at some of their creations I noticed that some of them created shapes and patterns, which led me to creating some mathematics provocations later on.

Cross-Curricular Connections

Heath: H4.1 Begin to demonstrate control of small muscles in activities at a variety of learning centres and when using a variety of materials or equipment

Drama: D1.2 Explore a variety of tools and materials of their choice to create drama and dance in familiar and new way (possible extension could be that the students act out what they have created i.e. pretend to be a shark or jellyfish)

Following this provocation, I printed off the pictures I had taken of their creations and incorporated a writing component: Can you label your colour wheel creation?

L4.3 Write simple messages

L4.4 Begin to use classroom resources to support their writing

The students were all interested in discovering what it was, what its made of, and what they can create with it. The possibilities really were endless. Due to the high interest level and engagement level, I decided to create a series of lesson plans which showcase the many ways the Chrysanthos Colour Wheel can be used in a Full-Day Kindergarten classroom. See examples below:

Colour Wheel Scavenger Hunt Provocation

The students had the opportunity to find items within our classroom environment that match the colours they see in the colour wheel. The book that went nicely with this provocation was called "Counting Colors."

The students were able to find a variety of classroom items and place them where they corresponded with the colour wheel colours!

Cross-Curricular Connections

Visual Arts: V2.2 Explore different Elements of Design in Visual Arts

Mathematics:DM5.1 Sort, classify, and compare objects and describe the attributes used

Colour Wheel Experiment Provocation

The students had the opportunity to mix primary colours together to see which colours can be created. I first read the story "Mix It Up!" which gave them an understanding of which colour combinations can be created. They also had lots of fun creating their own colours.

The students and I then co-created an anchor chart which was placed on display in the art centre. During a later provocation, this anchor chart was revisited when a student asked me which colours make green. We paid a visit to the chart and the student was able to see that yellow + blue made green.

The students then used the colour wheel puzzle pieces to match the colours on the anchor chart.

Cross-Curricular Connections

Visual Arts: V2.2 Explore different Elements of Design in Visual Arts

Science & Technology: 2.2 make predictions and observations before and during investigations

Science & Technology: 2.4 communicate results and findings from individual and group investigations

Mathematics: DM5.1 Sort, classify, and compare objects and describe the attributes used

Number & Alphabet Creations

The students were able to practice their alphabet and numbers 1-10 using the Colour Wheel Puzzle pieces and Reading Rocks.

Two books that went really well this provocation were: "Numbers Everywhere" and "Alphabet Everywhere" which showed beautifully how letters and numbers can be seen in our everyday environment.

An extension to the number creations provocation was representing numbers using the colour wheel and the reading rocks.

Cross-Curricular Connections

Mathematics (Number Sense): NS1.7 Demonstrate an understanding of number relationships for numbers 0 to 10, through investigation

Language: L2.8 Demonstrate knowledge of most letters of the alphabet in different contexts

Health: H4.1 Begin to demonstrate control of small muscles in a variety of learning centres and when using a variety of materials or equipment

Sorting in HPE

I first read the book "Sorting" and then we went to the gym and the students had the opportunity to run and sort the colour wheel pieces by colour. While waiting for their turn they participated in a game of Simon Says Fitness: Stretches/movement skills (run, jump, throw, kick, skip, jog on spot, squat, etc.)

The students had the opportunity to add and subtract using the colour wheel pieces. Two books that went really well with this provocation were "If you were a plus sign" and "If you were a minus sign". The wooden frames were great for teaching this because the students can visually see that when you add you put more inside the frame and when you subtract you take it out of the frame and put it on the outside.

Mathematics Curriculum Connections

NS1.3 Begin to make one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects and matching groups of objects

NS1.5 Recognize some quantities without having to count, using a variety of tools or strategies

NS1.12 Investigate addition and subtraction in everyday activities through the use of manipulative or oral communication

Bulletin board display in our classroom. #makinglearningvisible

Overall, I feel that the Chrysanthos Colour Wheel is a great open-ended teaching and learning manipulative and I highly recommend it for all educators to use with their students. I have only showcased a selection of lesson ideas to use but there are many more!

Should you wish to purchase your own colour wheel to use in your classroom please visit: Chrysanthos Colour

*Class sets are also available

Remember to stay connected with my Instagram account to see more play & inquiry based teaching and learning opportunities: @educate.invest.inspire